Persian War Elephants - Ghaznavid War Elephants - Persians Fighting Against Elephants, 18th Century India

Persians Fighting Against Elephants, 18th Century India

In 1739, Nader Shah of Persia's Afsharid dynasty invaded India and led an army to the capital, Delhi; but he was halted on the way by the Mughul ruler Muhammad Shah and his huge army, which greatly outnumbered the Persian army. The Indians also had war elephants with them; these had blades on their tusks which they had been taught to use against the enemy. Nader Shah is said to have sent pots of oil to the front lines, where the accompanying goats' horns were ordered to be set on fire. The goats charged at the elephants, who panicked and turned around, killing thousands of Indian troops, as reportedly had happened at the battle of al-Qādisiyyah between the Sassanid Persians and the Muslim invaders of their empire in 636 AD. Different authorities claim that Nader Shah ordered camels to be paired together and platforms constructed between them; a mixture of naphtha combustibles was placed on the platforms with orders to set them on fire during the battle so that the Mughal elephants would flee at the sight of the fire and cause mayhem in their own army. In either event, the Mughul elephants apparently proved in this case (the Battle of Karnal) to be a "double-edged sword". Following his defeat of Muhammad Shah, Nader's soldiers carried many elephants home with them to Iran.